Strongest production growth in rubber and plastic industry

Output generated by the rubber and plastic industry increased by 7.5 percent in March relative to the same month in 2018. Production in the transport equipment, metal products and chemical products industries also grew.

Altogether, the industries referred to in the above graph account for approximately 75 percent of the total manufacturing output

Stable trend

A more accurate picture of short-term output developments is obtained when figures are adjusted for seasonal effects and the working-day pattern. After adjustments, a decrease is seen in manufacturing output between February and March 2019 of 0.5 percent.

Adjusted for seasonal and working-day effects, manufacturing output is seen to fluctuate significantly. From mid-2014 until the beginning of 2018, the overall trend was upward. Subsequently, the trend has been relatively stable.

Producer confidence improving

Producer confidence among Dutch manufacturers improved in April 2019. Manufacturers were more positive about future output and their stocks of finished products.

Germany is an important foreign market for the Dutch manufacturing industry. According to the IFO index, confidence among German manufacturers fell once again last month, to the lowest level in more than six years. This was due to both more pessimistic business expectations and less optimistic opinions on the current situation. In March, the average daily output generated by the German manufacturing industry was over 2 percent lower than in the same month last year.

The figures published in this news release are provisional and subject to revisions.

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Slochteren gas field: 60 years

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Sixty years ago, on 29 May 1959, the largest gas reserve in the history of Europe was discovered near Slochteren in Groningen Province. This news release reviews state revenues from this gas field and their contribution to the Dutch economy.
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